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1. Test the rookie. Simeon Varlamov has a very respectable 1.17 goals against average, but faced 30+ shots in a game only once in the series against New York. Not only did he enjoy an easy workload, but most of the shots that New York took were from bad angles or far distances--chances with low scoring percentages.

2. Rush the net. Again, the Rangers took too many shots that didn't have much chance to tickle the twine in their 7-game series with Washington. In last night's game, however...the Rangers' lone tally came when Andrew Dubinsky rushed the net and Nik Antropov picked up the loose change and buried it. Sidney Crosby will have to keep scoring the type of goals that he did against Philly and others will have to join in, like Max Talbot, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, Jordan Staal, and Matt Cooke.

Not only do we need more production from the players I named (outside of Crosby, as he was fantastic against Philadelphia), but each of them have scored quite a few goals from in front of the net. That is where the Pens will have to make hay as the sun shines, as the Washington defense is not very physical.

3. Unload on Semin. The guy who once proclaimed that he sees nothing special in Crosby has actually become Washington's most dangerous player. He doesn't need 13 shots per game to put the puck in the net and can stickhandle in a phone booth. Dan Bylsma needs to pair up Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik on Alexander Semin's line so Orpik can wear him down with his physicality. Alexander Ovechkin is going to score and do his stupid ****ing goal celebrations...but if you stop Semin, you'll limit the production of that entire line.

4. Work harder and the bounces will follow. In hockey, the team that works harder usually gets all the bounces. The Pens need to win the battles for loose pucks and work harder in the corners. When the defending Eastern Conference champs are moving their skates, they are near-impossible to beat. If the Pens are able to work harder in 4 of these 7 games, we'll be moving on.

Other things will need to be in order for the Pens to win, like a more productive powerplay and limiting the dumb penalties. We also need to be more physical than the Caps.

When you look at the match-ups, the Pens should win this one in the first 6 games. I believe the Pens are more well-rounded offensively, have a much better defense, and the Caps are putting their playoff hopes on the shoulders of an under-worked/over-appreciated rookie in net.

Doesn't really make sense because in order to get an assist there has to be a goal.

Originally Posted by LarryNJ

it's comments like that that make me happy I don't live in No Va anymore. At least here in Philly the Flyers fans actually know the game.

you both know what i mean. if you count two assists on every single goal, you won't have to score as many goals to pile up the assists. i bet you could find at least three times (enough to put him ahead of malkin) and probably more, when ovie was the second person before the goalscorer to touch the puck and couldve gotten the assist if he played in pittsburgh.

HAHAHA!!!! Malkins better than Ovie!! Thats the funniest joke I've heard in a long time.

The only reason malkin and crosby's point totals are so high up is that the scorekeeper at the igloo gives a secondary assist on every goal the pens score. For some reason he counts a touch in the neutral zone as an "assist" and that causes malkin to have 78 assists. So impressive.
The pens are really good at getting assists but not at scoring goals. The caps have two players, not even counting ovie, who are at least as good as malkin and crosby.
And I'm also a big believer in simeon varlamov.

Joke? Malkin is better than Ovechkin. Ovechkin is too much of a selfish player. He doesn't realise that there is other players on the team. Heck, I think Malkin is better than Crosby.

Score keeper? The score keeper is an official of the NHL. Can't wait to see half of the Caps arena filled with quite a few Pens Fans. We're pretty well known to take over that arena.

you both know what i mean. if you count two assists on every single goal, you won't have to score as many goals to pile up the assists. i bet you could find at least three times (enough to put him ahead of malkin) and probably more, when ovie was the second person before the goalscorer to touch the puck and couldve gotten the assist if he played in pittsburgh.

what a min. AO passes the puck?!?! seriously!!

He shoots more than any player in the NHL. No wonder he score soo many goals...he shots two-three times as any other player.

Malkin is a MUCH better player overall.

just so everyone knows...I am still learning the game. I have only watched Hockey for the past few years. A friend of mine loved the game and instead of doing homework we drank and watched the pens...LOL I fell in love with it though.

Joke? Malkin is better than Ovechkin. Ovechkin is too much of a selfish player. He doesn't realise that there is other players on the team. Heck, I think Malkin is better than Crosby.

I will admit that there are times when Ovie can be kinda selfish. But that only happens when the caps are down and he thinks he has to put the team on his shoulders to bring them back.
and i also agree with you that malkin is better than crosby.

Originally Posted by Stlrs4Life

Score keeper? The score keeper is an official of the NHL. Can't wait to see half of the Caps arena filled with quite a few Pens Fans. We're pretty well known to take over that arena.

You may be right but for some reason when the penguins are playing, they always seem to get a second assist.
and if you havent noticed the trend over the last few years, but there have been very few pens fans at verizon center recently. i know this is somewhat of a bandwagon effect but i still appreciate our rink now being very volatile to oppossing teams. just ask torterella about that.

Originally Posted by Stlrs4Life

Varlomov will be staining his pants by the 2nd period.

varlamov is better than you think. and if you haent noticed, the caps were 3-0-1 against the pens this year. i hope that signals a turn around in who has the power in their series.

I will admit that there are times when Ovie can be kinda selfish. But that only happens when the caps are down and he thinks he has to put the team on his shoulders to bring them back.

Malkin plays much better defense, his +/- is better, he knows how to back check, his takeaways are much higher. AO is a great player and will no doubt win the MVP, but that doesn't make him better than Malkin but it does put him in the top 5.

Originally Posted by steelcurtain09

but there have been very few pens fans at verizon center recently. i know this is somewhat of a bandwagon effect but i still appreciate our rink now being very volatile to oppossing teams.

This is true, it's not the same as when I'd go in the 80's and 90's and there would be at least 5 or 6000 Pgh fans. There always was a few thousand die hard Caps fans but not many in the area. I actually bought Pens Caps playoff tickets in '90 or '91 the day of the game and was 5 rows off the ice. Ovie does put people in the seats but the Caps fans are not in the same league as the Pens, Flyers, Rangers, Habs fans, they are more like Florida fans. The Pens just won 2 out of 3 in Philly where it's louder and harder to play. The crowd will make them play better, just start the Crosby Sucks chants every 3 minutes like they did at the Wachovia Center.

Originally Posted by steelcurtain09

varlamov is better than you think. and if you haent noticed, the caps were 3-0-1 against the pens this year. i hope that signals a turn around in who has the power in their series.

You can throw out the regular season record, it means NOTHING. Varlamov played a great series. If he plays the same way the Caps will win, I won't be so confident that that will be the case. Last year everyone was talking about Carey Price the same way and look what the flyers did to him. It took a big set for Boudreau to throw him in goal but it certainly looks like a great move so far.

As a Penguin Fan and a hockey fan I couldn't ask for more fun than to play the Flyers and the Caps in the playoffs.

Get in the fast lane grandma, the Bingo game is ready to roll.

It's going to be fun!

Last edited by LarryNJ; 04-30-2009 at 10:03 AM.

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."
-Wayne Dyer